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Show Spring 1996 BORDER BEATINGS: Scenes From a “Mexican Rodney King” Incident run?!” “There is a boiling point going on down there,” Kiley said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.” | -Robert Kiley, antiImmigrant activist “We weren't surprised to see this, given the anti-immigrant rhetoric. It was a license to beat them.” -Bobbi Murray, Coalition for Humane Immigrants Rights of LosAngeles Will we learn anything from these mistakes, or be doomed to witness another horrible inci- dent similar to this? munity over the senseless beating. Alicia Vasquez is still baffled over the events of that night. From an interview in a hospital bed, she told the Associated Press she had been afraid to run. “When the truck stopped, everyone was screaming Run, run!” But I didn't. 1 said to the officers, “Estoy aqui!” (Par here! F dida t run. 1 didn't do anything wrong. 1 merely camesbhere to find teen work.” seconds, but is forever etched in the minds of the Chicano community and others. Riverside officers Tracy Watson and Kurt Franklin dragged the driver, Enrique also beaten on the back and pulled by her hair on to the ground, where she was struck again with a baton. The suspects did not flee or attempt to resist. Afterward they were taken to a hospital jail ward with bruises and broken bones. The similarities between this and the Rodney King beating of 1991 were hardly coincidental. Both cases involved a high speed chase, and police subdued suspects with excessive force. Also, the officers were white, and the suspects were minorities. Like the King episode, there has been public outrage throughout the Chicano com- Civil Rights attorneys filed claims for damages against the Riverside officers who participated in the beatings. Funes is asking for $10 mil- - Funes Flores, out of:the truck, . lion, while Vasquez is still and beat him across the back and shoulders. A female pas- waiting to file her claim. - What is most disturbing senger, Alicia Sotero Vasquez, - about the incident is the lack of procedure used to subdue Funes and Vasquez. Police are taught to not use batons until after they have tried talking to suspects, weilding their batons as a warning or using pepper spray. Once these attempts have been made, only then may more force be used. But the videotape clearly showed Watson and Franklin used the batons with excessive force to overpower the workers without trying other means... They» attacked defenseless people simply because they had crossed over the Mexican border. Robert Kiley, an anti-immi- gration activist has said that the Border patrols were weary and frustrated over losing battle against workers sneaking across the border. “There is a boiling point going on down there,” Kiley said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.” The rhetoric that has fueled the fire can be traced to men such as Pat Buchanan who told residents recently, “This country is being overrun by people violating our immigration laws and defying the American Constitution.” Bobbi Murray of the Coalition for _Humane Immigrants Rights of Los Angeles said that “We weren't surprised to see this, given the anti-immigrant rhetoric. It was a license to beat them.” Even more appalling than the physical similarity of the incident to the Rodney King case are the reasons behind the similarities. It is because of the rhetorie that, in so. many words, tells others immigrants are not welcome. This same rhetoric has plagued all types of immigrants coming into this coun- try, not just those undocumented workers from Mexico. This very same attitude has affected immigrants at the turn of the century, including the His foretathers. of Buchanan. Thesstact that Alicia Vasquez and Enrique Flores and the others entered this country illegally isn't the issue. These people were not violent criminals and did not deserve to be treated in such a fashion. Of course, this will be filed T “Run, was 1 screaming But I didn't. I said to the officers, “Estoy aqui!” (Tm here!) I didn't run. I didn't do anything wrong. I merely came here to find work.” -Alicia Soteo Vasquez On hearing the news of the latest police beatings in Los Angeles, I was reminded of an old proverb my father used to say to me. He said that those people who cannot remember the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them. Those words seem to fit what has now been dubbed as the “Mexican Rodney King” incident. Om. Apr 1.2 Camper bypassed the border patrol gates at Temecula, Calif. and led the Riverside County Sheriff's deputies on a high speed chase. Deputies clocked the truck at over 100 miles per hour. Midway through the chase, the camper shell tore loose from the truck, revealing more people huddled inside. The 70-mile chase ended as the truck pulled off the freeway at South El Monde, and most of the occupants fled the scene. Only the driver stayed to help his female companion. The police who appeared on the scene were captured on videotape by a police helicopter. The violent episode that followed only lasted fif- into the annals of history, just like so many other events in life. But will we learn any- thing from these mistakes, or will we be doomed to witness another horrible incident similar to this? Rada 1 “When the truck stopped, everyone was very Friday at 3.00 in e |
